Liberal MP Sharman Stone has accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott and senior ministers of ''blackening the character'' of SPC Ardmona workers as she claimed strong support from Coalition colleagues for her stance opposing the government's position on the fruit processor.

After it refused to give $25 million to SPC Ardmona last week, Mr Abbott and other frontbenchers attacked the company's workplace agreement with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union as ''extraordinary''.

Affected by government decision not to support SPC: Orchardist Gary Godwill at his Kialla property in Shepparton. Photo: Angela Wylie

Mr Abbott highlighted conditions such as wet allowances, loadings on overtime, ability to cash out sick pay and redundancy payouts of up to two years. But SPC Ardmona released information on its agreement with the AMWU that refuted nearly all of Mr Abbott's claims.

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On ABC Radio on Tuesday morning, Dr Stone accused Mr Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey of ''lying'' about working conditions at the company and later accused them of hypocrisy in an interview with Fairfax Media, saying she was confident of being able to initiate a Senate inquiry into the food industry.

''It's really deeply disappointing to me when I see more and more of these furphies rolled out to try and blacken the character of the workers themselves and the business,'' said Dr Stone, who represents the Victorian seat of Murray, which includes the town of Shepparton, where the SPC factory is based.

''That sort of stuff is deeply hurtful. What it is saying is that the workers themselves, the 750 left … they're responsible for the death of the industry.''

Dr Stone said it made no sense for the government to support a Tasmanian fish farmer, Huon Aquaculture, by spending $3.5 million in public money to upgrade machinery while rejecting SPC Ardmona's bid.

She said the government had sought to widen its attack on unions at SPC Ardmona after unrelated reports of corruption in the building industry.

''This seemed to be a convenient way to draw a line in the sand to accuse this company [SPC] of being destroyed by unions and outrageous wages,'' she said.

Dr Stone's remarks came as a trio of Nationals MPs added their voices to demands for additional drought assistance for farmers, brushing aside comparisons with the multimillion-dollar packages sought for SPC and General Motors Holden.

In a clear sign the Coalition partner is prepared to push against the economic dries in the Liberal Party, Nationals MPs Darren Chester, John ''Wacka'' Williams and George Christensen have all thrown their support behind Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, with Mr Christensen suggesting the time was ripe to consider a government-backed rural development bank.

On Monday, Mr Hockey said drought assistance was already available to farmers and declared ''the age of entitlement is over and the age of personal responsibility has begun''.

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Within minutes of Treasurer Joe Hockey declaring an end to ''the age of entitlement'' on Monday, assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs stood on a highway on the outskirts of Hobart and announced a grant of $3.5 million to a Tasmanian seafoods manufacturer, Huon Aquaculture.

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A trio of Nationals MPs have added their voices to demands for additional drought assistance to farmers, brushing aside comparisons with the multimillion-dollar packages sought for SPC Ardmona and General Motors Holden.

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